


The man on the silver mountain

by ukenceto



Series: Love beyond the bones [12]
Category: Gears of War (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Drama, Family Feels, Flashbacks, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Y'ALL HERE COME THE FIC, before it's too late, that actually gets these dummies talking about their emotions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:28:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22010332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ukenceto/pseuds/ukenceto
Summary: What happened after Settlement 2; JD and Del's visit to Marcus before going Outsider.
Relationships: Damon Baird/Marcus Fenix, James "JD" Fenix/Delmont "Del" Walker
Series: Love beyond the bones [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1025247
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15





	The man on the silver mountain

**Author's Note:**

> Continuing the series with rock song inspired titles
> 
> _________  
> I'm the night, I'm the night  
> I'm the dark and the light  
> With eyes that see inside you
> 
> Come down with fire  
> Lift my spirit higher  
> Someone's screaming my name  
> Come and make me holy again  
> _____________________

“You have done what now?” Marcus’ voice had an edge to it; albeit a blunt, heavy one - like an axe swinging down. Impending. Low.

About as equally devastating, if the storm of emotions crossing JD’s face at the words was any indication.

Del knew his friend, and could read all that Marcus had left unsaid reflected in his expressions. The guilt, the shame, the disappointment.

But they were in this together, and while Del knew certain things between father and son weren’t his ground to speak on, tonight he had to interfere.

He had to do something more than watch JD breaking down from the inside, struggling to speak , to stop his vulnerability from showing in some misguided attempt at honor.

“Sir, Marcus- I was the one who wanted to leave.” Having the focus and intensity of Marcus’ gaze directed at him almost made Del stutter, but he squared his shoulders and stepped closer still, almost subconsciously shielding JD’s body with his own. “JD came along so that I didn’t have to do it alone.” 

“This isn’t about you leaving, Delmont. It’s what happened before –“ Marcus turned towards JD again, his voice dropping even lower. If the small room wasn’t nearly painfully quiet, Del was certain he would’ve had to strain to hear his next words. “Your actions cost people’s lives. Civilian lives.”

“Dad, do you think I didn’t try to – I was– “ JD couldn’t even finish the sentence before Marcus stepped closer still, raising his voice for the first time since they’d crossed the threshold of his home, the first time they’d seen him for the past two years.

“This isn’t a war James! They weren’t fighting you, they weren’t there to take your lives and ready to give their own in turn. But you never listen. What did you expect? I told you the COG hasn’t changed, that a day like that will come.”

“I didn’t– the fight was a mistake, I never wanted that to happen.” JD still tried, his voice wavering at the end as he looked down, seemingly unable to meet Marcus’ gaze any longer. The warm light of the fireplace reflected in the traitorous wetness on JD’s face, the trails left by the tears he hadn’t been able to hold back.

“And now you’re runaways. No, worse than that – you’re deserters. You’re lucky this isn’t war, or Jinn would’ve ordered her hounds to shoot you on sight, not capture you and jail you.” Marcus looked at Del again, who reminded himself to stand his ground. After all he’d been the one who offered them to come here, told JD they would be safe.

“We just, we hoped we can lay low here for a while. Until this settles down.” Del didn’t think they’d get to without the earful, but also knew Marcus was going to tone it down after a while. He always had, at least. Before, when he and JD would have a disagreement over something.

Del had spent many summer vacations in the grounds of the estate, exploring the forest, playing with JD, picking fruits and helping Marcus work the land. He’d seen them both upset with the other, but it never lasted. JD loved his father despite of it, and it was only the last two years, the time since they had joined the military academy that had shaken Del’s faith in Marcus some.

He’d gone as far as stating he’s disowned JD, for disobeying his wishes and joining the COG. They hadn’t as much as spoken a word to each other in all that time. But Del had seen the look JD got sometimes, that faraway sadness. And when they graduated, he had seen him wistfully looking at the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of Marcus, seated next to Damon Baird, the spots reserved for family.

But it hadn’t happened. The seat had remained empty, and later in that evening, when both Del and JD were drunk out of their minds and taking a stroll around the lake in New Ephyra, JD had screamed his lungs out at nothing, yelling about maybe one day being good enough. The crash of the bottle against a cobblestone wall still echoed in Del’s mind now and then, and he could never forget the misery in JD’s face that night, raw and open under the alcohol’s influence.

When Settlement 2 happened, and the erratic, panic-inducing hours after it, when he struggled to scrub the ghost of char and smoke from his skin, fought the memories of blood blooming on the ground behind his eyelids, Del had seen his own desperation and panic reflected in JD’s gaze. In that moment, they were both kids again, scared and wanting to go home.

Del’s home had burned away long time ago, taking everyone from his life along with it. But that was then. And now, he had JD, and he had the vast, open grounds in Marcus’ estate. Filled with life, and wind and that special kind of feeling, an unbidden form of freedom which only existed in nature. JD had a family they could go back to. Because for all the years he’s spent there, he had always felt welcome, despite Marcus’ curt way with words and somewhat clumsy displays of affection.

So there was only one road for them to walk on, as far as Del could see. And in the end, convincing JD of it had taken even less than what he expected. JD wanted to go home, most likely even harder than Del did, no matter the apprehension he still felt towards his father’s words.

But now, faced with Marcus’ anger, Del had to admit that he hadn’t taken the man’s feelings into the matter, too lost in his own panic and guilt. This was definitely not the reunion he’d pictured him and JD to have eventually, and for a moment Del feared if he had made the rift between father and son even worse.

“We won’t be in your way long. We’ll go to one of the outsider camps.” JD’s words seemed to make the temperature in the room drop with ten degrees.

“You’ll go back to New Ephyra before this mess gets any worse. I’ll speak with Jinn, and just maybe you won’t have to spent the next two years in prison.” Marcus pushed right back, and Del realized things were definitely not going the right way.

“We’re not going back there. This is over now and we’ve made our choice.” JD crossed his arms, a frown creasing his brow. “I’m not having you pull whatever strings you might have to pardon us. We’ll work for our freedom, the way outsiders do.”

“You never learn, do you James.” Marcus said, voice finally betraying a tone of disappointment. “You can stay. Until tomorrow morning.”

The finality in Marcus’ voice felt like a slap. Del couldn’t even think of anything to say, just watched as JD turned and walked to the only other room in the small house, slamming the door shut.

Marcus didn’t seem likely to want to add anything either, simply sparing an unreadable glance at Del before going outside.

Not long after, Del could hear the unmistakable sound of wood chopping.

Left alone in the dim room, he took a look at the two duffel bags they had come with, bulky and heavy with their armor and a couple spare sets of clothes. Not that he had many personal effects to take in the first place, but the fact that his life was yet again reduced to what he had on his back threatened to send Del’s mind in a dark place, one he didn’t wish to revisit tonight.

So he grabbed the straps of the duffel bags and hauled them in the next room, the small bedroom he and JD had shared every summer and the long, beautiful months of fall since they had first become friends in school.

JD had already laid down, his back towards the door. He certainly wasn’t asleep, but he didn’t say anything to Del, who knew not to add salt to the wound either. Closing the door quietly, he took off his boots and jeans, placing them next to the bed, followed by his jacket and shirt.

Left only in his boxers and tank top, he took his side of the bed, shivering a little at the feeling of the cold sheets against his skin. Out here, away from the steam powered core of the city, the cold seemed more palpable, having sought every nook and cranny of the land and the stone house in the long days of Frost. And without Marcus having anyone over to heat this room for, even at the end of Brume, the weather reminded Del more of winter than of spring.

Sighing, Del turned towards JD, inching closer until they were pressed together, and he could wrap an arm around his broad form. JD leaned back towards him a bit, fingers tracing some unknown pattern on the skin of his forearm.

Del placed a soft kiss at the crook where his neck met shoulder, hoping to ease some of the residual tension he could feel still gripped JD’s body.

“You know that he loves you, right? No matter what he says, that won’t change.” He finally spoke, unable to give silence the last word for the night. Not when it came to something so important. “He’d give up the world for you, even if he’s mad at you in the meantime.”

“I wish I could believe that.” His voice barely above a mutter, JD gripped Del’s arm where it rest over his chest. “Let’s just go to sleep. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”

There was obviously not going to be anything more said on the matter that evening, so Del closed his eyes, willing his thoughts to settle and let him sleep. Despite the bright flashes of fire, muted gunshots and screaming still echoing in his memories, the fatigue had taken a toll on his body, and he felt himself drift off.

Sometime, later in the night, Del jostled awake at the sound of what seemed to be creaking of a door being opened. But if it was that or just the wood of the old house settling, groaning with the moisture of the coming storm outside, he couldn’t say. Still, the room was unchanged from what he could see and the complete darkness outside visible throughout the window meant there was still time until sunrise. So without lingering on the thought any longer, he let sleep overtake his mind once more, blissfully void of any dreams.

* * *

  
_Months on Sera:_

_Storm (1st Month of the Year)_  
_Gale (2nd Month of the Year)_  
_Rise (3rd Month of the Year)_  
_Heat (4th Month of the Year)_  
_Bloom (5th Month of the Year)_  
_Reap (6th Month of the Year)_  
_Harvest (7th Month of the Year)_  
_Bounty (8th Month of the Year)_  
_Frost (9th Month of the Year)_  
_Sorrow (10th Month of the Year)_  
_Thaw (11th Month of the Year)_  
_Brume (12th and Last Month of the Year)_

_Seasons_  
_Spring: Brume, Storm, Gale_  
_Summer: Rise, Heat, Bloom_  
_Fall: Reap, Harvest, Bounty_  
_Winter: Frost, Sorrow, Thaw_

* * *

Marcus watched as another log crumbled and briefly sent sparks flying up the chimney, before it turned into a heap of glowing embers in the hearth. The wind howled outside, rushing between the barren branches of the trees, wrestling wails out of the land and pushing against the roof like an ancient, angry titan.

A chill ran up Marcus’ spine when one of the wind-wails sounded too loud, too akin to something else entirely. To demons long buried, yet threatening to spill from the prison of his mind each time night fell.

He took a gulp of the drink in his hand, the wooden mug half-empty already. It burned against his throat and momentarily overpowered his senses, then left only the faint aftertaste of last Harvest’s apples, and a heat in his gut that still wouldn’t dispel the ache of his bones.

His other hand rested on the smooth, worn handle of a pistol. He wasn’t sleeping this night, and while that wasn’t new, the reason was different.

The drizzle of rain which had held out the whole day finally broke in a full-fledged storm, torrents of water hitting the small windows of the house, turning the panes of glass into a surrealist painting in black and blue.

He didn’t think anyone would have followed Del and James so far, not in a weather like this at least. But it didn’t hurt to be prepared.

He almost missed the sound, lost in thought and nearly lulled by the constant noise of the storm, but it repeated quickly, and there was no doubt: someone was banging on the door, the heavy wood absorbing the force of the blows until they were but a muffled rasp.

Fingers closing around the handle of the pistol, he stood up from the big armchair, approaching the door.

For a moment, there was quiet; even the storm seemed to hold its breath.

Moving the heavy cast iron latch, he opened the door which creaked in protest. He kept thinking he had to grease the hinges. He hadn’t.

A hooded figure stood outside, rivulets of water flowing down the heavy fabric engulfing it.

“Well can I come in, or you’ll keep me out here all night?” Baird’s familiar drawl held a notch of exhaustion, unsurprisingly.

“You walked through that?” Marcus said instead of a greeting, stepping aside to let Baird in. That being a scenery which reminded more of a stormy sea than land anymore, occasionally lit up by a wayward lighting.

“Drove, for the first part. Walked, for the second, when the bike started to skid in over a foot of mud.” Shedding the heavy raincoat, Baird wasted no time in leaving his mud-caked shoes by the door and heading to the fireplace. “Didn’t particularly fancy hitting a tree either, considering it’s darker than a Brumark’s ass out there.”

“The month’s called Brume for a reason.” Marcus grumbled, referring to the thick fog which rarely lifted for weeks, and surrounded the world in a nearly suffocating globe of grey throughout the day, and frosted, ghostly dreamscape at night.

Baird just rolled his eyes at the remark, still trying to warm up his frozen hands in front of the fire.

Marcus simply came closer, reaching to hold his reddened fingers between his own palms, offering a more gentle warmth.

Sighing, Baird let him, before resting his forehead on Marcus’ shoulder.

“I would have just flown. If, you know, I wasn’t trying to get out unnoticed.” His words came out muffled, but this close, Marcus heard him clearly all the same. “You know why I’m here, right? They are too?”

“Yeah, they are. Came in earlier today, right before sundown.” Marcus felt a flare of anger awake in his gut, thinking back on James’ hurried confession. Del had stepped outside to get water, and James had completed their story, a part of it at least which was obviously unbeknownst even to his own best friend.

“I made sure to erase any surveillance footage, and sent out a few DB’s to smear the trail, and spread out in the forest a bit. It’ll confuse whoever Jinn sends out to track them.” Lifting his head, Baird finally met Marcus’ eyes. “But she will send someone here eventually. You know that as well as I do.”

“Don’t worry about it. They won’t be staying.” Marcus watched as Baird’s expression darkened in confusion, the ridge between his brows becoming deeper.

“What do you mean they won’t be staying? Where will they go?”

“Our son wants to be an Outsider now. You can guess about how much my opinion on the subject mattered to him.” As far as keeping his emotions in check went, Marcus was good with feigning indifference. It had never passed with Damon though.

“You—What did you say to him about that?” Baird scoffed when Marcus’ only response was a noncommittal grunt. “He knows he has a home here, right? Marcus?”

“OF course he knows that, what did you think I’ve told him—“ Marcus raised his arms, struggling to keep his voice down instead.

“I just know what I read in the report. Of what’s happened at the riot. And I know you wouldn’t—it’s too much, I get that. To forgive him.” Baird ran a hand though his hair, in lieu of fixing up goggles which hadn’t been there for well over a decade. “But don’t push him away. It’s all I’m asking. Not now, not when he needs to know he can rely on us, no matter what.”

“I didn’t. He made his choice.” Suddenly, it was as if all the fight had left Marcus, his shoulders sagging with a weight Damon knew all too well. The light of a lone lantern set on the mantelpiece cast his face in a stark contrast of shadows, accenting the silver in his hair. “This isn’t about forgiveness, not one he should seek from me.”

Reaching slowly, Damon ran his fingers over Marcus’ cheek, tracing the deep grove of his scar, before settling to rest over his neck.

“Like we hadn’t made mistakes when we were young. Mistakes that cost people’s lives.” Baird’s voice was low, a little sad, a little wistful. Their past never seemed too long ago when they were side by side.

“It was at war. Our war, the Locust war, doesn’t matter. Those men, we all knew what could be the end.” Even as he spoke, Marcus didn’t pull away from Baird’s touch. It wasn’t the first time they’ve had that conversation, albeit not in the same light.

“And it is guilt which he’ll carry for the rest of his life.” Stepping closer still, Damon touched his forehead to Marcus’, no distance left to hold each other’s gaze any longer. “So don’t let him think he’s lost his father too. Even if you’re angry now. Please…”

Covering Baird’s palm with his own hand, Marcus held him closer with the other, remaining quiet.

“It’s too easy to forget. To get used to what we have.” Baird continued in a heartbeat, his voice rougher than usual. “Remember when we didn’t even know if the person fighting right next to us won’t end up dead before the next day? What if this is the last time you see him? The last thing he hears of his father being words of disdain?”

Marcus closed his eyes as an old memory rose in his mind, unbidden. A flash, like a lightning, the man next to him falling from a sniper round they couldn’t even see. Right as they were speaking, not even a week out in the field.

Trying to shake the vision of crimson blood on fresh snow, he focused on the present, on what he could see and feel in the here and now.

The dimming light in the fireplace, the roughened skin of Damon’s palm where it touched his face, the scent of his hair, the steady, continuous sound of the storm outside.

The lips seeking his, dry but searing hot.

“Okay—“ muttering between breaths, he sighed in agreement. “I’ll think of what to say to him. Tomorrow, before they go.”

“You don’t even need to speak, if you think he won’t listen. Just let him know. Even if it takes time. Let him know he hasn’t lost you.” Damon fell silent as they stood in front of the fireplace, locked in an embrace neither wished to break, not for at least a little while longer.

* * *

Morning came, truthful to the last days of Brume, with fog dense enough to obscure anything past a couple of feet’s distance. But the night’s storm had passed, only puddles and broken branches left as signs of its existence.

Getting up, if only because he couldn’t avoid it any longer, JD opened the bedroom’s door, expecting to find the next room empty.

Hand still on the doorknob, he blinked in surprise when he saw Baird seated at the table, and Marcus silently stirring something over the fire.

“Well hello there. Wake Del if he’s not up yet and come have breakfast, your dad’s making eggs.” Baird spoke as if this was a mundane, daily occurrence for them, and not the first time JD had seen both his fathers in the same room for damn near two years. “There’s coffee too, but no milk so I know you won’t want that.”

“Uh, yeah I’ll—I’ll get Del.” Turning back to the room, JD paused before speaking again. “You’re not here to bring us back, are you? Because—“

“Because you’re not going, I got that bit already. Don’t worry, I’m just here to get your lunch packed.” The sarcasm in Baird’s voice was light-hearted at most. Surprised at himself, JD caught a smile curling in the corner of his lips at that. “Maybe also got you few other goods for the trip too, but you can check those out later.”

Rousing Del from sleep included a quick kiss, once JD actually found him underneath all the quilts. He was not a morning person, especially when the weather was cold, and the mornings dreary.

“Come on, breakfast’s going to be ready soon. Don’t want to miss on that, if we’ll be walking all day today.” A pair of sleepy eyes met JD’s gaze, and he sighed, reminded of why he was really going through with this. For whom.

“And how’s the… situation?” Del mumbled back at him, voice low.

“Not as bad as what I’d have expected, for now at least.” JD stole another quick kiss. “And we’ve got company. No one you should worry about though.”

Despite Del’s questioning frown at his words, JD patted his shoulder and left without explaining further.

Going to the water pump outside, he shuddered as he splashed the icy cold water on his face. Yeah, that’s one thing he really didn’t like about this place. Cold water, in the summer? Fine, although the basin could also heat up from the sun. But in winter, it required a separate fire to be lit for it to warm up, and apparently Marcus didn’t bother with that unless anyone planned to shower.

Coming back inside, JD was thankful for the heat of the fireplace, which had turned the small room surprisingly cozy in the dawn’s dim light.

Sitting on the empty chair next to Baird, he cleared his throat before speaking.

“So when exactly did you arrive. I didn’t hear a Raven’s engines.”

“That’s because I didn’t come with a bird. I wasn’t about to lead the entire COG to you, if anything because your father would have my head for them messing up his gardens.” Smirking, Baird cast a glance at Marcus who only hummed in response, still focused in getting the scrambled eggs in several plates lined on the countertop.

JD saw the edges of couple of the plates had several chips, groves in the otherwise shiny blue enamel. The sight of such a tiny, unimportant detail somewhat stuck a chord inside him, something he couldn’t quite name but took a while to return his attention back to Baird, who was still speaking.

“—And last night, lucky as I am to not end up in a ditch or something. The things you do for the people you love.” Despite the exaggerated sigh in his voice, Damon’s eyes were kind. JD realized that somehow, this was exactly what he’d needed to hear.

That it was start of sort, at least. To the road of getting himself back together, of learning to live with the burden of what he’d done at Settlement two.

Del chose that moment to return from his own trip to the water pump, nearly shaking with the cold, towel still clutched in his hands.  
  
“Marcus, my man, no disrespect but you gotta get running water in here someday. Hot water.” He left the towel on the back of a chair, and like what any self-respecting boyfriend would do, reached to warm up his frozen hands on JD’s shoulders, who nearly jumped in his seat from the cold.

“Yeah, maybe one day I will.” Marcus replied noncommittally, moving the plates to the table. It was the first time this morning he’d turned to look at them, and despite the lighter mood a moment ago, heavy silence fell over the room.  
  


“James, a word. Outside, if you will.” Without waiting for a reply, Marcus walked out.

Sighing, JD stood up, tension radiating from his stance.

“James—“ It was rare for Damon to use his full name, so JD turned to look at him, momentarily forgetting his apprehension. “He’s not looking to start another fight. Please, just give him a chance.

Listen. Like you would when you were a child, and he was reading you that book, the one you could hear a thousand times and still want another go, as if it’s the first time you hear the story.”

Pausing, JD just took a few deep breaths, his eyes shut.

“He’d read it with different voice. Even when I was pretending to fall sleep, just so that he can keep reading a bit longer, he’ll still read like when I was listening intently.” JD hadn’t thought of that memory in a long time.

The light of the lamp reflecting geometrical patterns on the low ceiling, Marcus’ presence next to him, his deep voice softly going through the lines which he probably knew by heart already. But still held the book, because JD liked to see the characters drawn on the cover, imagine them as Marcus’ voice brought them to life in his mind.

Returning to the present, he took one last look at Damon and nodded, not trusting his voice to say anything more, before going outside.

***

Marcus was a dark figure not far out in the fog, standing still, nearly akin to a statue. He turned when JD came closer, despite that his footsteps were muted by the soft ground.

“Look, dad, you’re mad, I get it, really—“ JD started, ready to stand by his decision, even if with a more clear head than yesterday. But Marcus just raised a hand, stopping him.

“If you’ve made up your mind, what I want won’t change it.” Taking a deep breath, Marcus continued; it seemed like he’d thought up his next words carefully. “There’s an Outsider settlement up north, people in it I know. People who might be willing to have someone with COG written all over them, if they’re sent by the right person.”

“That being you then, is it?” JD tried to keep his voice neutral.

“Yeah James, like it or not. Out here that means the difference between them shooting you on sight for trespassing, or letting you be one of them.” Marcus also kept his tone at level, looking JD in the eyes.

“I—ok, we’ll take that. I can see the logic.” And want to keep Del safe, is what JD didn’t add. He’d gotten them into that mess, he was getting them out of it. Even if it meant relying on what his father’s namesake meant to people.

They stood in silence for a long while, enough to had JD thinking that maybe their conversation was over, that he best return to the house already.

Just as he was about to move, Marcus did as well, stepping closer to him. He seemed like he was about to add something for a moment, before thinking better of it.

More often than not, that’s how they ended up like. Most times they argued, for sure. One side or the other would fall silent and that was it. It never fixed anything, never settled a score. Simply signaled the matter wasn’t going to be discussed any longer.

But Marcus’ next step caught JD off-guard.

“James...”

He closed his eyes, lifting his arms to return Marcus’ hug, hands bunching up the thick material of his sweater, in a hold which said more than any of his words born by anger ever could.

Maybe it wasn’t an answer, it wasn’t settling their disagreements. But it was enough in the way that mattered most. It was enough to let JD know, even if wordlessly, that it didn’t have to be another two years until they saw each other again.

* * *

Back inside the house, Baird moved from where he’d leaned next to the window, turning towards Del who raised his eyebrows in question.

“They’ll be okay. Maybe it’s gonna take some more time until they both get over it, but they will.” Baird didn’t try to hide the relief in his voice. Del was practically family at this point. Their family. He even already navigated the complex emotions between Marcus and JD surprisingly intuitively.

“Well that’s good to know. I really didn’t want a repeat of those two years, believe me. JD didn’t take them as well as he likes to pretend he did.” Del in turn seemed open with Baird, in a way which made him appreciate the honesty.

“Hey, just… Look after him out there, will you?” His request was sincere, even as he busied himself with breakfast, setting down a half-empty cup of coffee.

“You got that. Might say the same in turn.” Del pointed with his chin towards the door, right as it opened and Marcus went inside, followed by JD.

“Mmm, like I’d ever do different.” Baird answered simply, not wanting to draw attention to their previous conversation. He’d done his best to reach out, even in the times when Marcus seemed more willing to close himself off from the world. Hell, if anything it was those moments specifically that had Baird trying even harder.

Even when there was an entire city relying on him, in one way or another, he’d found the time to come here, to be with the man he loved. Even if there’s been some heated words throughout the years, disagreements caused by old wounds that ran deeper than either of them had wanted to admit at the time.

So especially when Marcus and JD were going through their biggest moment of mutual disagreement, Baird tried to be there for both of them. Not as a mediator, but simply someone who cared deeply for both, and wasn’t about to let them push him away in a roundabout way of punishing themselves.

This wasn’t going to change now, even with the First Minister tightening the law of the borders, trying to keep people docile inside the walls of the settlements.

A future Baird hadn’t wanted to see, a use for his windflare walls he’d never foreseen. He had read somewhere, once, that ultimately all creations of good will could be turned to serve an evil agenda. Evil wasn’t the word he’d use about the current First Minister, but dangerously ambitious came to mind.

The new COG was beginning to look a lot like the one he’d known in his youth, sans the long-going war. The one he’d never wanted to be a part of, even if it meant forgoing the inheritance of his bloodline.

But as he watched JD and Del smile at some private joke between them, Baird tried to tell himself things were going to turn out alright. That the deep worry settled in his guts for months now was nothing but remnants of old fear, of sleeping with one eye open, listening for the sound of demons tearing through the walls.

He was silent as Marcus walked over to the nightstand next to the bed, rummaging in it for a moment, before returning to the table, a black cloth held in his hand.

It was somewhat faded, the edges worn with use, but the insignia on it was still clearly distinguishable. He held it out to Del, who took it with a surprised look.

“The outsider camp you go to. Show this to whoever meddles about your business, and ask to speak with Reyna. She’s the head of the clan.” Marcus had leaned on the table, speaking while Del folded the bandana. “That’s about as far as my name would get you. Tell her the truth. It’s her decision if she’d let you stay or not.”

“Thank you, Marcus.” Del smiled, glancing over to Baird. “Suppose you’ll hear if we get kicked out, but we’ll do our best not to.”

“You best.” Marcus’ growl still betrayed an edge of amusement. “Now pack up, you should leave soon if you want to reach the first campsite by nightfall.”

“Speaking of, a map or something could be useful.” JD’s tone was questioning.

“There are no maps. You follow the path, you stick towards its northern branches. That you know how to do.” Baird added, knowing JD and Del had explored the road surrounding the estate in the previous years they’d been here.

“And leave your armor, it won’t do you any favors to go around with it.” Marcus said last, before putting a large knitted bag on the table.

Baird spotted a loaf of rye bread, some wrapped meats, cheese, apples. He couldn’t hold back a small smile.

_Disagreements or not, parents were parents, right?_

**Author's Note:**

> Some stuff I wanted to explore bc I was. dissatisfied. with how much of a bad dad and edgy son dynamic was there meant to be in the whole game 4 n 5's narrative. 
> 
> JD and Del are together, and so are Marcus and Baird.
> 
> oh and Baird still has his hair, bc I don't want him to look that much like Adam Fenix and whatever Freudian crap the devs were trying to pull with that one 
> 
> Anya was never married to Marcus but they all drank that Respect Women Juice and she was still a First Minister
> 
> Baird's been going to Marcus as that land's been their getaway for whenever he hasn't been busy singlehandedly rebuilding western civilization 
> 
> Also JD's Baird and Marcus' son for realz, like quote me on that if u wish but i stand up for mpreg tho that will be left for another fic


End file.
